4/12/09
Alicia is a nurse at Shands Trauma Center in Gainesville. Her young teenage son was hit by a bus while crossing the street and was brought in with severe Brain Injury. She received a tote bag and was a guest speaker with Tracy Porter for Trauma Awareness Day. Just a few weeks prior, her nephews and a niece suffered TBI’s in an unrelated auto accident in Jacksonville.

Hi Tracy,

It was a pleasure to meet and present with you at the Gator Trauma Day.  You are an amazing lady.  I greatly appreciate what you have done and what you are doing.  I will be glad to donate to the cause and would be also happy to help you in the future if you need.  There is a lot of work to be done informing people about the effects of brain injuries on individuals and society as a whole.
Thank you for all the work you are doing.
Sincerely,

Alicia Johansen (formerly Moore


2/20/09
Dear Tracy

I have been wanting to call you and then I stop and think how many families you are helping and how hectic your life is and I dont want to tie you up with me on the phone, you have such a gift for what you are doing, I tell everyone about what you do and how you were there for me and Stephen's dad. Praise God for you and your heart!

I don’t have to tell you how I have been feeling these last few weeks, slowly Stephen is coming back to us, you should hear him on the phone, he is so sweet and tells me how much he loves me and misses me, I cry and cry after we talk from so much joy! I just called when I got in from work and they said to call back because he is EATING in the dining room....
 
Thank you so much for keeping up with how he is progressing and all you do for the families going through this heartbreaking journey.
 
Claire Castleman


1/29/09
Dear Mrs Porter,

After all you have been through, and still have to go I admire your ability to reach out and comfort others.  I pray God blesses you daily.  If I ever see the chance to influence any donors, I certainly will.

I would like to tell you that the bags are wonderful and bless you for your heart (and effort) to reach out to others in a tangible way. My son was not expected to live for the first couple of weeks and so we too, stayed around the clock.  The morning "showers" in the IUC bathroom would not have been possible without the necessities you include like soap and toothbrushes. 

As we were enveloped by the waves of emotion, sometimes when our heads bobbed up to the surface where there was air, we would realize we did not have the energy to move.  Then we would remember that there were snacks in the bag.  That sustained us for a few more hours. I remember looking through the written information and almost drinking it in, trying to learn as much as possible.  Much of it was beyond our needs or understanding at the time.  It was hard to imagine then, why we needed to know about rehabilitation or support groups.  We did however order resources to help us explain to my 5 year old grandson right away.

Unlike random information you may gather along the way that you either don't understand or don't remember where you put it, with the well thought out organization of the contents of the bags, everything is in one place.  It is easy to add new info you may get, and that info that was beyond our needs then, is now still in place waiting for our use. 

The bag also created a bond between the staff member of the hospital and us, that gave me comfort and I am sure it gave her joy to know she was helping us.

Thank you for all you do! May God bless you and all of those involved in this effort.

Jodi Chappell

Letters from the Hospitals & Support Groups
We encourage hospital staff to share their accounts of how these tote bags helped them during the course of a family’s stay. Nurses and social workers work very closely with the families providing as much comfort and medical care to the injured person. We are told on occasion how nice it is for them to be able to hand the family hope through this very compassionate program.


6/28/09
Dear Tracy

I am the Neuropsycholgist for the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program here at Tampa General Hospital.  I want to thank you for the bags you provide to the families of patients in their time of crisis. Families appreciate the time and effort that goes into providing this service.  They often ask about you and want to know why you do this.  They frequently express their gratitude for this timely gift when they are feeling frightened and vulnerable.  They especially like the warm blanket that you provide.  Although they have trouble focusing on reading material immediately we use the books over the patients stay to help them to understand what is happening medically and psychologically.  Thank you again for all you do.

Antoinette De Fazio, Ph.D.
Tampa General Hospital
 

June 2009
Dear Tracy,

I would like to take a moment and thank you for your commitment and dedication to the families of patients with traumatic brain injuries. The Mothers Against Brain Injury tote bags have proven to be a valuable gift for each of these families. These bags have given care providers a useful tool in aiding family members with support information to help them understand the medical information they have been given.  That is in addition to all the other goodies in the tote. Recently in one of our family waiting rooms,  I saw a mother using the pillow and blanket to take a  nap while the two other family members were playing a game of cards.  The opportunity for comfortable rest and a much needed distraction all in one bag!       Keep the good work going.

Diane Reid RN
Trauma Clinician
Tampa General Hospital